Gallery: Inside Brooklyn's DIY Spacesuit Startup
Copyright and all rights reserved by Dave Mosher http://davemosher.com01final-frontier-design
NEW YORK -- In a dorm room-sized office near Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal, a lanky man in an inflated spacesuit dances. He hops, shimmies and boogies. He stretches his arms, sweeps his hands over his head, twists his torso and lifts a bent leg in the air. At one point he lurches over, as if to scoop up a rock on Mars. The guy in the spacesuit is artist and designer Ted Southern. Videotaping his performance is Nikolay Moiseev, a Russian mechanical engineer and Southern’s partner in founding [Final Frontier Design](http://finalfrontierdesign.com/), a startup company that hopes to craft affordable yet highly capable spacesuits for a burgeoning commerical spaceflight industry. Just moments before, the suit resembled a saggy scarecrow’s skin stitched together from plastic kiddie pools. But as it inflates, a crude simulation of the spacesuit prototype’s behavior in a vacuum, the metamorphosis is shocking. Every scrap puffs into purpose under pressure: a joint, an ergonomic contour, a clever reinforcement, all of which permits fluid movement not afforded by spacesuit designs used today. “The current options are limited, expensive, heavy and not very functional. We think we can offer real improvement in terms of both performance and cost,” Southern said. Southern and Moiseev met at a 2007 NASA competition to design a new spacesuit glove. Motivated in 2009 by their [second-place $100,000 win](http://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/glove_2009.html), the duo now designs spacesuits from a workshop in the industrial boonies of Brooklyn, directly right across the street from a popular hipster bar. “We both wanted to go beyond gloves to a full suit, and we recognized a new market in the suborbital spaceflight industry,” Southern said. The company recently launched a [$20,000 Kickstarter campaign to develop its “3G” spacesuit](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/872281861/final-frontier-designs-3g-space-suit). If funded, they’ll spend the cash creating a prototype to vie for NASA’s picky certification. After that they plan to sell lightweight, flight-approved models for about $50,000 a piece. Wired recently visited Final Frontier Design’s headquarters. Get an exclusive look inside in this gallery. [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/07/final-frontier-design-spacesuit-dance-ted-southern-dave-mosher.jpg)
Copyright and all rights reserved by Dave Mosher http://davemosher.com02mixed-histories
Mixed Histories --------------- [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/07/nikolay-moiseev-space-suit-treadmill-nasa.jpg)Moiseev once ran 20 miles in a spacesuit on a treadmill to test boots designed for NASA’s defunct Mars program. His expertise has put him into dozens of models. “I am only man who tried almost all space suits in the world,” Moiseev told Wired. Image: NASA Moiseev and Southern met in Connecticut as empty-handed competitors in [NASA’s 2007 astronaut glove challenge](http://www.space.com/3767-homemade-space-glove-wins-nasa-contest.html). After the contest, Moiseev needed to catch a flight to Russia from New York City. Southern, who still lives in Brooklyn, offered to give him a lift to New York. During the ride Southern learned that Moiseev worked for [Zvezda](http://www.zvezda-npp.ru/engl/orlan.html), Russia’s prime spacesuit contractor, from 1986 until 2006. During his tenure, Moiseev helped design six spacesuits and dozens of prototypes, including some components still used by Russia and NASA today (above). “I did not sleep the night before my gloves were used for the first time,” Moiseev said of a cosmonaut’s 1988 excursion outside of the Mir space station in an [Orlan-type spacesuit](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlan_space_suit). “I was very scared.” Conversely, Moiseev learned that Southern designs costumes for Broadway shows and to this day helps craft the angel wings for Victoria’s Secret models (below). “It’s a good way to pay the bills when you’re designing spacesuits from scratch. We build them out of money from our own pockets,” Southern said. [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/07/final-frontier-design-spacesuit-victorias-secret-dave-mosher.jpg)
Copyright and all rights reserved by Dave Mosher http://davemosher.com03partners-in-crime
Partners in Crime? ------------------ After losing NASA’s 2007 astronaut glove challenge, Moiseev occupied himself by designing a full spacesuit for space tourists, high-altitude skydivers and NASA’s future commercial suppliers (above). He called it the “NAM” — short for his full name, Nikolay Alexandrovich Moiseev — but it never got off the ground. Moiseev and Southern joined forces to win second place in NASA’s 2009 glove challenge, and by 2011 they’d crafted the “2G,” a yellow two-layer spacesuit (below at right). To be permitted to sell spacesuits, Southern had to register as an arms trafficker. “Spacesuits are considered weapons by the U.S. Department of State. They’re listed just after nuclear weapons under [ITAR, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations](http://www.pmddtc.state.gov/regulations_laws/itar.html),” Southern said. “It’s been a huge problem for us, because Nikolay is a Russian foreign national.” The regulations also make it nearly impossible for Southern to hire talented foreign interns. He couldn’t even disclose to Wired the exact weight of the 3G, which is a one-layer design that’s lighter and more flexible than the 2G suit. “What I can say is that it weighs less than 14 pounds,” Southern said. “To sell it to someone outside the U.S., it will take about six months \[and\] a couple thousand dollars in lawyer fees.” [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/07/final-frontier-design-spacesuit-2g-dave-mosher.jpg)
Copyright and all rights reserved by Dave Mosher http://davemosher.com04tight-timeline
Tight Timeline -------------- Final Frontier Design’s deadline on Kickstarter is July 15, 2012 (above). To attract $20,000 in donations before then, they’re offering everything from custom ear-unplugging [valsalva devices](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valsalva_maneuver) (below at right) for $100 to a full 3G spacesuit for $10,000. “That will only get us so far to developing a flight-ready and certified suit, but it would be a huge help,” Southern said. Getting as far as they have with the 3G today meant Moiseev had to move to New York City. But that required a visa, a hurdle that all too often blocks talented people from working in the United States. “Thankfully we were able to get him an 0-1 visa for individuals with extraordinary ability,” Southern said. “Everyone calls it the [scientists-and-supermodels visa](http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=b9930b89284a3210VgnVCM100000b92ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=b9930b89284a3210VgnVCM100000b92ca60aRCRD).” [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/07/final-frontier-design-spacesuit-valsalva-dave-mosher.jpg)
Copyright and all rights reserved by Dave Mosher http://davemosher.com05keeping-it-simple
Keeping it Simple ----------------- Operating on a shoestring budget means Final Frontier Design resorts to clever uses of common materials. Glove prototypes in their workshop (above) use a rubberized life raft-like fabric, which is then adorned with nylon straps and steel wires to control their shape under pressure. Helmets latch to an aluminum cuff with a simple twist and use a shatter-resistant polycarbonate shell for the visor. “In the new version we’d love to design a visor with a shade that flips up,” Southern said. [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/07/final-frontier-design-spacesuit-helmets-dave-mosher.jpg)
Copyright and all rights reserved by Dave Mosher http://davemosher.com06spacesuit-seamsters
Spacesuit Seamsters ------------------- From steel nails and wingnuts to cotton string and sewing needles, Final Frontier Design keeps it real with old-school materials in its workshop. But the fully functional prototypes don’t seem to mind. “Some spacesuit manufacturers say the Washington, D.C. beltway is the most important orbit, and that getting a contract is more important than your technology,” Southern said. “We disagree. Useful technology is the most important thing, and you don’t have to spend tons of money to get it right.” [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/07/final-frontier-design-spacesuit-materials-dave-mosher.jpg)
Copyright and all rights reserved by Dave Mosher http://davemosher.com07tough-glove
Tough Glove ----------- Gloves, Moiseev believes, are the hardest parts of a spacesuit to get right. “If they are not designed well, they will fail after very little use. Many astronauts lose their fingernails from the stress of the glove,” he said. The startup uses a vacuum chamber (above) to test their designs. Under pressure, the gloves morph from saggy sacks into stiff, hand-fatiguing structures (below). Carefully sewn joints, however, provide flexibility and degrees of freedom that most spacesuit gloves can’t match. “Hands are really important for human interaction,” Southern said. “They’re hard to get right, but we feel like we have very effective designs.” [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/07/final-frontier-design-spacesuit-glove-chamber-dave-mosher.jpg)
Copyright and all rights reserved by Dave Mosher http://davemosher.com08suiting-up
Suiting Up ---------- The 3G prototype is a one-piece spacesuit (above) without hard-to-move airtight zippers that are common to most spacesuits. To get inside the 3G, a wearer sticks his or her feet through a tube of material in the front, then pulls the arms and helmet ring over the head. Once tucked in, an assistant twists and seals the entry tube. Southern (left, below) donned the 3G for Wired while Moiseev (right, below) helped him put it on. [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/07/final-frontier-design-spacesuit-entry-tube-dave-mosher.jpg)
Copyright and all rights reserved by Dave Mosher http://davemosher.com09vital-accessories
Vital Accessories ----------------- A no-frills helmet twists and locks into place on top of the 3G spacesuit (above) while gloves (below) use similar aluminum hardware to keep the suit sealed. Underneath the garment, Southern wears long underwear, cotton gloves and a custom-made snoopy cap for communications. [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/07/final-frontier-design-spacesuit-glove-attachment-dave-mosher.jpg)
Copyright and all rights reserved by Dave Mosher http://davemosher.com10com-check
Com Check --------- To communicate from their sealed-up world, Southern and Moiseev use a headset linked wirelessly by Bluetooth to an iPhone. “It’s not flight-certified, and you can’t have any electronic component in a high-oxygen environment. But it works for now,” Southern said. Below, Moiseev chats with Southern inside of the spacesuit. [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/07/final-frontier-design-spacesuit-nikolay-moiseev-dave-mosher.jpg)
Copyright and all rights reserved by Dave Mosher http://davemosher.com11under-pressure
Under Pressure -------------- Compressed air pumped into the 3G spacesuit raises the internal pressure to 2 pounds per square inch above external pressure (above). The simple exercise helps Southern and Moiseev test cooling flow within the suit, and simulate the flow of oxygen that will eventually come from a life support system. The inflation also helps the team examine the suit as single, functional unit in action. Below, Southern weaves together his gloved fingers in a show of pliability. “The spacesuit is a precaution against rapid depressurization, like oxygen masks that drop from the ceiling in airplane,” Southern said. “At more than 200,000 feet, if your spacecraft loses pressure, your body can’t survive that. It’s essentially a vacuum. You need a helmet with a neck seal or a full spacesuit.” [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/07/final-frontier-design-spacesuit-gloves-grip-dave-mosher.jpg)
Copyright and all rights reserved by Dave Mosher http://davemosher.com12head-shoulders-knees-and-toes
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes ------------------------------- In the tight confines of a spacecraft, comfort is key for spacefliers. To that end, Final Frontier Design is designing the 3G to be as lightweight and flexible as possible (above, below) while inflated. “We were working on single-layer gloves, and we felt we could translate that to the entire suit,” Southern said. “When you have two layers and you try to bend a joint, it’s hard to do and you get a lot of friction. The single-layer suit is much lighter and more comfortable.” Punctures and wear-and-tear on a single-layer spacesuit makes for a greater risk. But Southern said the 3G fabric is much thicker than that of the protective outer layer of the two-layer 2G model. “If it does seem like a greater risk, we’ll add a lightweight protective coverall,” Southern said. [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/07/final-frontier-design-spacesuit-leg-foot-dave-mosher.jpg)
Copyright and all rights reserved by Dave Mosher http://davemosher.com13starting-small-2
Starting Small -------------- The competition for suborbital spacesuits is limited to a few competitors -- [David Clark](http://www.davidclark.com/Aerospace/aerospac.shtml), [ILC Dover](http://www.ilcdover.com/) and [Orbital Outfitters](http://www.orbitaloutfitters.com/), for example -- but the stakes are high with a small pool of customers. “Generally \[rocket\] companies think a lot about the rocket and the spacecraft, but not so much the spacesuits,” Southern said. “It’s sort of an afterthought for them, and we feel there’s a lot of commercial potential there.” Although the 3G is not flight-ready yet, Final Frontier Design is already attracting potential customers. “Someone from a high-altitude balloon company visited us yesterday for a demo, and it looks like he might buy a suit for $10,000. That could push us over the Kickstarter limit,” Southern said. “His friend, a pilot, also seems willing to do some testing of the suit in exchange for one.” [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/07/final-frontier-design-spacesuit-patch-dave-mosher.jpg)
